My friend, Liz, and I were saddened by Katrina Rozelle’s retirement and decision to close her eponymous bakery. Since we’re friends, we naturally like some of the same things. One of our favorites was Katrina’s Ginger Cookie.

This is NOT Katrina’s cookie, but it is Liz’s recipe for a buttery and yummy Ginger Cookie. Please do comment below and let us know what you’d do to make it different (or better)!

Ingredients:

**in grams**

200 g unsalted* butter [1 1/4 cup]

125g brown unpacked sugar [1 cup]

1 large egg at room temperature

1 teaspoon of the best vanilla extract you can find

32 g dark molasses [1/4 cup]

250g All Purpose flour [2 cups]

2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 to 1 c. diced candied ginger

1/2 to 1 c. blonde raisins (sultana raisins)

Directions:

Preheat oven (no convection) to bake at 350°

Cream the first five ingredients.

Sift dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon, ground ginger) and combine.

Fold in candied ginger and raisins. Do not over mix.

Chill in the refrigerator until cookie dough is firm.

On a buttered cookie sheet, or parchment lined sheet, place a walnut-sized spoonful (shape with your hands into a ball) of your cookie dough about 2 inches apart. Press with hand to slightly flatten and sprinkle with bright sugar crystals into the cookie dough with the back of a small spoon.

Bake at 350° for ten to twelve minutes.

When your cookies are done, cool over a wire rack, and enjoy with a cold glass of milk (if you have a grownup beverage you like with Ginger Cookies, please let me know in the comments below!).

Form the remaining dough into a log with waxed paper. Chill forever. When ready to use, slice log into rounds and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet about 2 in. apart.

*if you don’t have unsalted butter, use salted butter, but reduce the salt in this recipe from 1/2 teaspoon to 1/4 teaspoon.

Chef’s note: I prefer them a little underdone. That way they stay chewy.

Lessons from my Mother:

• Vanilla extract is your secret weapon for any sweet dessert.

• I used organic eggs, butter, flour, just because.

• When measuring dry goods, such as sugar and flour, never pack your measuring cup unless the instructions tell you to. Lightly spoon your ingredients into the correct measuring cup, and level with the back of a knife. This will ensure consistent and accurate measurements every time.

• Be careful with baking soda, even a tiny bit over the measure can give your baked goods a funny taste. Not enough will give you a soft cookie with no crunch.

• Creaming and sifting are important because they ensure all your ingredients are fully incorporated, preventing surprise flavors from showing up when eating, and they ensure even cooking. For example, you don’t want to bite into a tiny baking soda pocket in your cookie.

• I also prefer using parchment paper to butter when preparing my cookie sheets. It feels cleaner and I know my ingredients are exact.

• I like to use extra large eggs in all my recipes because they give added richness.

Some of the products I used in this recipe are:

• Clover Sonoma Organic Unsalted butter.

• Wholesome Mindfully Delicious Organic Dark Brown Sugar

• Grandma’s Molasses (original, unsulphured)

• Arm & Hammer Pure Baking Soda (I wouldn’t know what else to use, it’s the only baking soda I see at the store, and it’s what my mother used when I was a child)

• Frontier Co-op Organic Vanilla Extract

• Hain Pure Foods Iodized Sea Salt